Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research
The research focus of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research is our cosmic neighborhood: the solar system with its planets and moons, comets and asteroids as well as the sun. The aim of the scientists is to describe the processes in the solar system in models and to simulate them on the computer. In addition, instruments are being developed and built to study these bodies from space. The Institute is involved in numerous space missions.
Mercury’s Crust Formed by Extreme Volcanism
Mercury’s crust likely formed from volcanic material that was more thoroughly melted than previously assumed. New laboratory experiments and analyses of observational data reveal a surprisingly low proportion of silicon dioxide on Mercury’s surface.
More precise findings will be provided by the ESA/JAXA spacecraft BepiColombo, which will be separated from its transport module on September 3rd, 2026.
Solar Orbiter’s Measurement Campaign for the Solar Eclipse
In the days leading up to the solar eclipse on August 12, 2026, ESA’s Solar Orbiter spacecraft will peer at the Sun as part of a special campaign. Observational data from Solar Orbiter’s SO/PHI telescope serve as the starting point for modeling the structure and dynamics of the solar corona. During a solar eclipse, the corona is clearly visible, even without special instrumentation. The event offers an exceptional opportunity to test the model calculations.
Tiny Vortices Discovered on the Sun’s Surface
Images from the Daniel K. Inouye Solar Telescope and computer simulations reveal tiny vortices on the Sun’s surface that have never been seen before. The discovery help to understand how energy builds up in the Sun’s magnetic field before being explosively released. Researchers from the National Solar Observatory, the MPS, and the High Altitude Observatory report their discovery in the journal Nature. The researchers interpret the vortices as signs of Kelvin-Helmholtz instabilities.
Oscillations, Flares, and Tornados on the Sun
Two years after the stratospheric flight of the Sunrise III solar observatory, the mission’s first results are released today. Sunrise III has captured observational data of unprecedented quality from the Sun’s visible surface and lower atmospheric layers. The data contain new information, such as on tornados in the solar plasma or on the processes occurring before and during a solar flare. During the flight, the Sun displayed its full repertoire: quiet regions, eruptions, sunspots, and more.
